Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chaves and Braga

For one person, living is cheaper in Chaves: $1,064 a month against $1,555 in Braga, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Chaves
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Chaves Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Braga
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Braga Living Index

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Chaves

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,064

/mo nomad

Braga

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,555

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chaves and in Braga

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chaves and in Braga actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,064 in Chaves versus $1,555 in Braga.

Chaves $1,064
Braga $1,555

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,607 in Chaves versus $2,247 in Braga.

Chaves $1,607
Braga $2,247

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,150 in Chaves versus $2,939 in Braga.

Chaves $2,150
Braga $2,939

Living in Chaves costs roughly 32% less than in Braga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chaves is 21% below, Braga is 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.99 €7.10

$11.24 €10.00

-28.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.32 €19.86

$48.33 €42.99

-53.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.78 €6.92

$9.08 €8.07

-14.32%

Cappuccino

$1.54 €1.37

$1.84 €1.63

-16.30%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.33

$2.16 €1.92

-31.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$1.19 €1.06

-52.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.28 €2.03

$3.38 €3.01

-32.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.43

$2.20 €1.95

24.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.07 €0.95

-4.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 €1.01

$2.12 €1.88

-46.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.78 €1.59

-36.52%

Eggs

$3.05 €2.71

$3.37 €3.00

-9.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.23 €5.54

$9.50 €8.45

-34.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.53 €5.81

$7.89 €7.01

-17.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.26 €9.12

$14.77 €13.14

-30.53%

Apples (1kg)

$1.14 €1.01

$2.30 €2.04

-50.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.40 €1.25

-17.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.11 €0.98

$1.80 €1.60

-38.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.97

$2.77 €2.47

-60.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.02 €1.79

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.92 €1.71

-41.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.17 €1.04

20.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 €0.70

$0.91 €0.81

-13.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.97 €5.31

$6.37 €5.67

-6.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.03 €3.58

$4.37 €3.89

-7.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.24 €1.10

-7.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.60 €1.43

-28.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 €0.77

$1.79 €1.59

-51.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.67 €24.61

$22.09 €19.65

25.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 €3.53

$4.28 €3.81

-7.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 €0.61

$1.77 €1.58

-61.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 €17.60

$16.32 €14.52

21.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.95 €1.73

$2.14 €1.91

-8.88%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$34.1K €30.4K

$33.1K €29.4K

3.14%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$37.6K €33.4K

$37.3K €33.2K

0.86%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$134 €119

$108 €96.1

23.72%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$17.81 €15.84

$17.45 €15.52

2.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.69 €28.19

$45.36 €40.35

-30.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.25 €22.46

$45.83 €40.76

-44.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.49 €4.88

$12.86 €11.44

-57.31%

Cinema Ticket

$7.14 €6.35

$9.00 €8.00

-20.67%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$223 €199

$334 €298

-33.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,620 €3,220

$10.1K €9,005

-64.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.9 €63.9

$67.0 €59.6

7.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.56 €20.07

$36.82 €32.75

-38.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.0 €56.1

$82.6 €73.5

-23.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.2 €80.3

$98.8 €87.8

-8.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$478 €425

$915 €813

-47.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$378 €336

$726 €646

-47.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$951 €846

$1,414 €1,258

-32.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$736 €655

$1,056 €939

-30.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,870 €1,663

$2,487 €2,212

-24.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,472 €1,310

$1,905 €1,695

-22.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,015 €903

$1,284 €1,142

-20.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.55

-15.49%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Chaves: October 19, 2026

Last update for Braga: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Chaves

$378 35.5%

Braga

$726 46.7% 92.3% $349

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chaves

$183 17.2%

Braga

$171 11% 6.7% $12

Groceries & Markets

Chaves

$182 17.2%

Braga

$249 16% 36.6% $67

Eating Out

Chaves

$131 12.3%

Braga

$174 11.2% 32.9% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Chaves

$111 10.5%

Braga

$128 8.3% 15.1% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Chaves

$40 3.7%

Braga

$64 4.1% 61.5% $24

Getting Around

Chaves

$39 3.6%

Braga

$42 2.7% 10.2% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $478 in Chaves and $915 in Braga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Braga pays 27% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $22.00 in Chaves vs $48.00 in Braga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $182 vs $249 per month, with Chaves cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Chaves

🇵🇹 Braga

🕒 Local time

11:16 11:16 AM

Same time as Chaves

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,592

193,349

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chaves Braga 82 km

From you

Chaves
Braga

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Chaves vs Braga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chaves and Braga differ by about 46% in total monthly costs ($1,064 vs $1,555 including rent). Chaves is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 27% lower in Braga. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $478 in Chaves versus $915 in Braga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $223 in Chaves versus $334 in Braga. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Braga. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,064 in Chaves versus $1,555 in Braga, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chaves but tight or insufficient in Braga. The gap between the two cities makes Chaves the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Chaves and Braga are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Chaves gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Braga. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.